Bilbo stayed at Brandy Hall for a month, only deciding to leave when Frodo was capable of hobbling from bed to a chair with the use of a stick. During that time he and Esmeralda took turns in caring for the young hobbit and Frodo thrived under their close attentions.
Once the pains had subsided it became difficult to keep him in his bed and his elders were hard pressed to keep him entertained. With Bilbo's skills at story telling and Esmeralda's ingenuity with word games and puzzles they managed, between them, to keep Frodo still for long enough to allow his young body to heal and most of the arguments about keeping him in his bed were good natured.
As the day for Bilbo's departure drew nearer, however, Frodo grew quiet and at times, sullen. Esmeralda could understand why. For the first time since his parent's deaths he had the undivided attention of two people. With a childlike hope he had wanted it to go on forever and pushed to the back of his mind the knowledge that it could not. As the day dawned, however, he could deny the reality no longer and Esmeralda could see the tears threatening even as he tried to eat his first breakfast.
Frodo sighed and picked up one of the small buttered triangles, taking a desultory bite and putting it back on the plate with an air of finality.
"Come on now, Frodo. Eat up all that toast or your hair won't curl," Esmeralda coaxed in her brightest tone.
"Oh, Auntie Esme. I'm not a baby. I know that eating toast won't make my hair curl. It's just something made up to get children to eat it," Frodo announced with all the sagacity of a thirteen year old. He folded his arms but kept his eyes downcast.
Esmeralda held out his cup of cambric tea. "I'm sorry. I'm used to dealing with younger children than you. I should remember that you are too old now to fall for that one." She managed to hide a smile. "Will you drink your tea, then? It has lots of milk in it and you know that's good for you. The doctor said that you must eat lots of cheese and milk puddings and drink lots of milk to help the bone in your arm to knit."
Frodo accepted the cup and sipped the milky tea slowly and silently. Esmeralda moved about the room, arranging cushions in the big padded arm chair that had been loaned to him, moving the footstool closer and laying his dressing gown at the foot of the bed, along with his walking stick.
It was a much cheerier room than when she had first arrived. A bright coverlet adorned the bed and soft rugs were placed to either side. Fire flickered in the grate and a picture of little smails set into a soft hill hung above the mantel.
Esmeralda had been appalled at the state of Frodo's room. During her vigil at his bedside Esmeralda had decided that Brandy Hall's fosterlings would be better cared for in future. So Saradoc had issued instructions for cellars and glory holes to be searched and now the youngsters' rooms were bright and comfortable.
Esmeralda timed things so that she arrived back at his bed as Frodo set down his empty cup and noticed that he had also eaten a couple of pieces of the toast. He was obviously enough of a growing hobbit lad that he could not completely ignore the warm golden toast with its liberal dressing of melting yellow butter. Frodo glared at her, daring her to mention it, and his Auntie removed the tray without comment, although she was hard pressed and had to clear her throat to hide a chuckle.
Esmeralda set the tray on a table outside the door and then returned to help Frodo into his warm dressing gown. He was too sweet natured to be sullen for long and accepted her help to dress, tucking in the sleeve for his left arm which he still wore in a sling, and allowing Esmeralda to lead him to the comfortable arm chair. There she placed his feet upon the stool and tucked a rug about his legs. Although it was summer, being below ground, hobbit smials kept a fairly even temperature and, still a bit weak from the fever and having to lie still a lot, Frodo could feel a little chilled. He smiled as Esmeralda tucked him up and he slipped his hand beneath the warm wool.
"Auntie Esme?" There was no hint of the bad humour of earlier in Frodo's voice.
Esmeralda sat on the end of his bed and folded her hands in her lap. "Yes?"
"Auntie Esme, do you like Uncle Bilbo?"
Esmeralda frowned a little, trying to work out where this conversation may be leading. "Yes, I like your Uncle Bilbo very much."
Frodo's face brightened. "I like him too. I wish he would stay here always."
"I think he is very fond of his own home. And he has been away from it for some time now," Esmeralda replied.
"He left Bag End empty for a very long time when he went on his adventure," the lad pointed out.
Esmeralda smiled. "And returned to find all his possessions being sold."
Frodo giggled. "Bilbo did have a wonderful adventure, didn't he?"
"As I remember the tale, your Uncle Bilbo was not too keen to start that particular adventure," his Aunt reminded him, her lips twitching upward.
"Oh . . . If Gandalf ever came and asked me if I wanted to go on an adventure I'd say, "Yes" in a flash," Frodo announced firmly.
"I think you have had quite enough adventuring for the moment, young hobbit." Esmeralda stood. "It's time for your tonic."
Frodo grimaced as he watched her pour a measure of the vile liquid into a medicine glass. He complained often that he could not work out what it was supposed to do, for he was not in pain any more and it didn't make him sleep, like the one they still gave him in the afternoon. Its only purpose seemed to be to taste awful and he hated taking it. His Aunt held out the glass and Frodo accepted it, holding it in his lap as he tried to postpone the inevitable.
"Auntie Esme?"
Esmeralda sighed and sat down on the edge of the bed once more. They played this game every morning. Frodo would try to postpone the tonic for as long as possible and Esmeralda would wait him out patiently until he finally had to accept defeat and swallow it.
"Yes Frodo."
"I know you're married to Uncle Saradoc . . ." He paused and Esmeralda merely nodded encouragingly.
"That's right, dear." She tried an initial sortie. "Are you going to take that tonic?"
Frodo glanced down at it and his mouth turned down at the corners. "In a minute, Auntie."
She could not blame him. The smell was unpleasant enough but the doctor had said that it would build up the lad's blood so take it he must. Although he had not lost enough blood to endanger his life he had, none the less, lost a fair bit and needed to replace it.
"I was just wondering . . . If you like Bilbo . . . and I know Bilbo likes you because he told me so yesterday . . . well . . . maybe you could get married to him?" As Esmeralda tried not to laugh the rest of it came out in a rush. "And then you could adopt me and we could all go away to live happily ever after together in Hobbiton."
He looked up at her pleadingly and Esmeralda tried to compose her face. It all seemed so logical to a child and a part of her wished that life was that simple. She was also imagining Saradoc's reaction when she packed her bags.
"Frodo dear, as you so carefully noted, I am already married. Even if I were not, I like a lot of people but I would not marry them. If a marriage is going to be happy there has to be love. I like your Uncle Bilbo and I'm pleased to hear that he likes me, but I don't love him and I don't think he loves me." She smiled. "And I very certainly love your Uncle Saradoc."
The little face fell and Frodo's lifted the medicine glass to his lips. Before he sipped he made one last attempt.
"Why don't you love him? Uncle Bilbo has a lovely big smial and lots of money. Uncle Saradoc could come with us and you could have lots of pretty dresses and some matching combs for your . . . oh!" He looked up in surprise, the medicine forgotten. "I never gave you your present." His face fell again. "I don't even know where it is."
Esmeralda stood and opened his wardrobe, producing the small bag he had been going to hand her when he fell. She laid it in his lap and he smiled up at her, blues eyes the colour of a midsummer sky. To her amazement he swallowed the tonic in two swift gulps, although he grimaced and shuddered and looking about expectantly for the little bit of candied ginger that Esmeralda always kept in her apron pocket to give him to take away the taste. He was not disappointed and sucked it gratefully as his Aunt relieved him of the empty glass.
When she returned he held out the bag triumphantly. "Here is your present Auntie Esme. I'm sorry it's late but I hope you don't think it's a mathom." He watched excitedly as Esmeralda accepted the bag and peeped inside, his expectant face beaming with delight when he saw her smile and draw out four beautifully carved polished wood hair combs.
Esmeralda leaned forward and kissed his cheek. "Frodo, what a lovely present. Thank you."
Frodo giggled. "Bilbo wanted me to get the ones with butterflies carved on them but I said you would like the ones with the little kittens. I was right, wasn't I?"
Secretly, Esmeralda would have loved the combs, whatever was carved upon them, simply because he had taken so much care to choose what he considered the perfect present for her.
"Oh yes. I love kittens. How clever of you to know."
Having got her in a good mood Frodo made one last sally. "Uncle Bilbo has pots of money . . . he could buy you lots of combs if . . ."
He was cut off by Esmeralda's gentle laughter. "No . . . I will not leave Saradoc and marry Bilbo Baggins. The very idea! And anyway, you little scamp, why would I want to adopt a lad that hasn't the sense to know that hobbits have no business climbing?"
Esmeralda was pleased to hear Frodo's delighted giggle join her own laughter.
Any further attempt to pursue the conversation was forestalled by the entry of Saradoc. He had been keeping a close eye on events, even though Bilbo and Esmeralda had done most of the caring. Esmeralda knew he had missed her presence in their home but he had made no complaint and had dealt with much of the matters that required attention behind the scenes in the lad's care. It was Saradoc who ensured that Frodo had a comfortable chair and he who carved the small walking stick. Esmeralda and Bilbo had been at great pains to make sure Frodo was aware of these attentions and so it was that the lad now smiled brightly at his uncle.
Saradoc glanced at his wife. "Is he ready?"
Frodo's face creased into a small, confused frown and he too glanced at his aunt in query.
"Yes. He's had his first breakfast and taken his tonic and I was just waiting for you to arrive." Esmeralda bent to remove the rug and Saradoc helped Frodo to stand as Esmeralda draped the rug around the lad's shoulders.
"What's happening?" Frodo squeaked in surprise as Saradoc swept him into his sturdy arms and Esmeralda tucked the rug more closely.
"It's time you got some sunshine and fresh air so we've set up a nice comfy chair for you under a tree in the garden," Esmeralda replied as she led the way through the door.
"We thought you'd like to say goodbye to Bilbo there and you can wave to him as he goes down the lane," Saradoc added.
Frodo stiffened at once and tried to push himself away from his Uncle's chest. "No. Don't want to. Take me back."
Saradoc halted in consternation, although he held firmly to the weakly squirming bundle in his arms. "Don't you like the sunshine?"
For the first time that she could remember, Esmeralda saw Frodo pout. The bright blue eyes looked down, refusing to meet his Uncle's gaze.
"Yes," he answered hesitantly, but as soon as Saradoc took another step down the hall he began to squirm again and his Uncle stopped, glancing perplexedly at Esmeralda.
She guessed the problem at once. "Bilbo has stayed a whole month, Frodo. He has a home to take care of and business to attend to. And he has promised to return for Yule."
The bluebell eyes caught and held his Auntie's and she could see the tears beginning to gather again. "Why can't Bilbo live here?" he whispered forlornly.
Esmeralda sighed. "His home is in Hobbiton. I understand that Bag End is a very grand place. I don't think it would be fair to ask him to give that up to come and live in a couple of rooms at Brandy Hall. Besides, it gives you somewhere to visit. He's promised to fetch you for a long holiday with him next summer, remember?"
Saradoc took an experimental step and then another as Frodo ceased his struggles. "It will be Yule before you know it, lad," he assured him.
Frodo blinked as they came out into the autumn sunshine. Even though this was one of the last bright days before autumn proper set in it was still a little chill and they had found him a sheltered spot to sit. Saradoc lowered him gently into the cushioned chair that had been placed ready and Esmeralda immediately wrapped the invalid in several layers of blankets, laying a pillow and hot water bottle beneath his feet and another hot water bottle in his lap. Bilbo arrived as she was finishing and she and Saradoc stepped away a little distance to give them some privacy for their goodbyes.
Esmeralda made a point of not eavesdropping, but when she saw Bilbo bend down to give Frodo a gentle hug and then turn away for his pony she stepped back to the lad's side at once, gently rubbing his shoulder and offering a hanky as the tears finally fell.
Once mounted upon his sturdy animal Bilbo Baggins turned back to wave at them and for a moment, Esmeralda was afraid that Frodo would not wave back, but after only a slight hesitation the uninjured right arm rose to wave vigorously. After all, it would not be too long before Yule was upon them.